Prop Isla Curphey shared her pride in Loughborough Lightning coming from behind to secure a 19-31 bonus point victory away at Bristol Bears.
Lightning trailed at the break following a difficult opening half, where the hosts dominated possession. However, they turned the tide in the second period, where they managed the conditions to perfection and controlled the game with 70% territory, coming away from Shaftesbury Park with the win.
“The first 20 wasn’t what we were looking for,” the versatile front row explained. “But it was tough in the wind to get out of our own 22.
“We reflected at half-time and had some clear instructions from the leaders and coaches of what we needed to fix and came out fighting for the win.”
Curphey came off the bench to replace Scotland international Anne Young and made an impact in a formidable pack effort from Lightning, which saw them have a 100% success rate on their own scrum.
“The scrum looked and felt solid,” Curphey continued. “We have really been working on working as a pack of eight, having all feet on the floor to break pressure and that showed.”
The victory in Bristol strengthens Lightning’s position inside the top four of the Premiership Women’s Rugby table heading into the final fixture of 2025 as Trailfinders Women visit cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday (21 December, kick-off: 2pm)– tickets are available by clicking HERE.
Curphey added: “It’s really pleasing to be in the top four, but that doesn’t mean we can take our foot off the pedal.
“There’s only a couple of points between seventh and fourth, which is great for the competition, and there really is a strong belief in this group this season that finishing in the top four is something that we can achieve, and that’s a great thing to be a part of.
“We want to maintain the momentum from the Bristol game going into next week with a few adjustments, but we will prove that we belong and have earned a place in the top four.
“The goal is to finish before the festive break on a high, so that we can continue to keep building into the new year.”